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Haji Ali verdict | Order clears that customs can't override constitutional values: Activists

Feroze Mithiborewala, another activist who was part of the movement to call for equal rights, said the decision also highlighted the fact that women are standing up to interpret Quran with a progressive feminist perspective.

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Welcoming the Bombay High Court judgment of women being allowed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah, those who have been helping the cause said the decision will clear the air that customs or traditions cannot override constitutional values.

"It is a great day for people who believe in gender justice and human rights. It is also a great day for all Indians who subscribe to the view that customs or traditions must not be allowed to override constitutional values. This judgment will also set a precedent... in the near future Muslim women are going to demand their right to enter mosques. It is a right that has been given to them in Islam but denied by Ulemas," said Javed Anand, initiator of Haji Ali Sabke Liye, which organised an all-gender religion trip to the inner sanctorum of Ajmer Sharif Dargah, the most renowned Sufi saint Dargah in India.

Feroze Mithiborewala, another activist who was part of the movement to call for equal rights, said the decision also highlighted the fact that women are standing up to interpret Quran with a progressive feminist perspective.

"The important element is that reform is lead by Muslim women. The judgment is empowering women across the country, specially Muslim women. It provides for equal rights and justice, both of which are anyway promised under the Constitution and progressive laws provided by the Quran," added Mithiborewala.

Stating that efforts by women were made earlier too, he also said that the clergy stopped them at every step and hence they had to move court.

"While upholding Articles 14,15 and 21 of the Constitution, the court also says that Haji Ali trustees are misusing and misreading Article 26 of the Constitution. A lot of youngsters (ie mindsets) within the Muslim community are changing. The stranglehold is breaking. The problem is that the tussle was always between conservatives even in the Sunni community. We hope that now reformists within the community will assert themselves."

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